Video appears to show small dog being dragged from electric scooter, police investigating

The good: a new breed of electric scooter is easy to obtain, via an app, and can be dropped anywhere. The bad: streets are littered with stray scooters and pedestrians are upset. Jefferson Graham reports from Santa Monica
USA TODAY

This is a Bird "nest." The e-scooter company operates in many 50 cities across the country.(Photo: Courtesy of Bird)

The incident occurred Sunday afternoon, police said Tuesday. As officers responded to a report of animal cruelty, witnesses told police they saw "a female subject riding an electric scooter with a small dog being dragged."

Witnesses reported that the dog had been visibly injured by the alleged incident, police said.

An investigation revealed that the dog was owned by a separate person, who had taken the dog for medical treatment, police say.

Police say they have identified and interviewed the woman who was riding the scooter. The release says authorities have released her as the investigation continues.

Bakersfield resident James Dowell told USA TODAY in a written message Tuesday that he had offered security footage of the incident to police. That footage has been posted to social media where it has been viewed more than 100,000 times.

The video shows a person traveling rapidly on an electric scooter, dragging what appears to be a motionless dog on the ground behind. It later shows the scooter operator stopping in the middle of a residential street.

Saying he was a witness to the incident, Facebook user Brandon Sanders posted Sunday that he witnessed the dog being dragged behind the scooter at approximately 15 mph. After the dog was picked up by the scooter driver, he said he could see the animal's paws had been bloodied.

In a statement issued to USA TODAY on Wednesday, electric scooter rental company Bird said the company was investigating the incident and had suspended the account for the individual involved.

"This type of rider behavior is wrong and prohibited by Bird." a Bird spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We continue to encourage people in the communities in which Bird operates to report incidents of irresponsible behavior on Birds to us, as well as local authorities. We investigate all reports directed to Bird and take appropriate measures, including removing people from the Bird platform."